Renegade
by Nintendian
Summary: She's one step farther away from sanity, one step closer to total destruction. - Dawn, Giratina.


If you want to know, this follows the general plot of Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, I guess, but not the way you would expect. I hope you enjoy reading this!

Warning for character deaths, dark themes, and violence.

_I don't own Pokémon._

* * *

**Renegade**

— the desire for revenge —

* * *

Dawn used to be a regular girl.

She lived in Twinleaf Town, attended the local school, made a few friends, and settled comfortably into her life. She was a straight-A student, and everyone thought of her as the smartest kid in the class. Maybe, if Dawn allowed herself to think it, even the smartest kid in the whole grade.

But she didn't like to think of herself like that. She was a kind, humble girl who preferred to keep to herself and read books all day, particularly about the ancient legends of Sinnoh, about the divine, powerful Creation Trio—Dialga, Palkia, Giratina and Arceus. Dawn didn't know why, but she liked Giratina the most of all. She felt bad for it, thought it was an intriguing Pokémon full of mysteries.

Dawn was admittedly shy. She had a few friends but felt lonely sometimes. Of course, she had no enemies, because she was a peaceful person and hated violence. All the teachers loved and admired her silent but hardworking personality. Obviously, there was also the fact that she never, _ever _got in trouble. She prided herself on that.

Everyone else thought she was perfect and smart and everything. Sometimes, Dawn's mother told her that if she was more outgoing, then she would be the most popular girl in her grade. Dawn didn't really believe her mom. After all, don't all moms say that? She favored reading much more than just hanging out with friends. Heck, she would even prefer studying to having a big party.

Oh, well. She didn't really mind that she only had a few friends—she was content with her life. Sure, her life wasn't _perfect_, but it was calm and peaceful, just how she liked it. She thought life would stay like that forever.

Unfortunately, she wasn't always right, even though everyone else thought so.

— - O - —

Dawn's life begins to fall apart one terrible day.

She and her parents are at Celestic Town, visiting their grandparents. Her family is sitting in the patio, which offers an amazing view of the Celestic Ruins and Mt. Coronet. It's around noon, and the sun is peeking out between the clouds, brightening the day, along with Dawn's spirits. Many people are also gathered together, eating lunch and enjoying themselves. Everything is peaceful and serene.

Dawn sips her tea and gazes out at the majestic, towering mountains of Mt. Coronet. They rise so high that she can't even see the top, which is shrouded in mist. Dawn allows herself a content little smile, fascinated, and turns her attention to the Celestic Ruins. Her grandparents' house is close to the ruins, and Dawn enjoys spending time there so she can stare at the magnificent ruins all day. She wonders what mysteries lay inside.

She sets down her tea cup as her grandmother turns to her.

"Dawn, what do you want to do when you grow up?"

She thinks about it for a little while. That was such a hard question. She hates it when people ask her that, because she really has no idea what she wants to do.

"I don't know yet," Dawn says shyly, feeling ashamed of herself. She's only nine and in third grade, but her parents have high expectations for her. They push and encourage her, saying that she has to go further, do _something_ important in her life, or at least have a few goals and ambitions.

Hesitantly, she glances up at her grandmother, who's smiling.

"That's quite all right, Dawn. I'm sure you'll find something. You're such a smart girl! You'll put your talents to good use."

Dawn looks at her grandmother's smiling face and grins back. She stands up and offers to go get some more sandwiches for her parents.

Her parents nod. "Thank you, Dawn." As she begins to leave, she hears her family talking about what a polite and kind girl she was, what a bright student and hardworking child.

"I'm very proud of Dawn. She's going to be a wonderful young lady when she gets older."

And then she hears the explosion.

She hears screaming and panicked shouts. She looks behind her to see a level of horror she can't even begin to comprehend.

The Celestic Ruins are _blowing up_.

Flames spring up into the air, catching easily and spreading, since most of the houses are made of wood. Rubble sprays everywhere as flames slowly engulf her grandparents' house. The smell of smoke fills Dawn's nose. People shriek and run, trying to protect themselves and their loved ones. She hears her family screaming her name, yelling for her to escape. "Go, Dawn! Get away from here!"

"But what about you?" she screams back, terror flooding her every sense until she can't think anymore.

"Don't worry about us! Just _go_!"

Dawn is so frozen that she can't process her thoughts, but she knows she has to save her family. She grabs her parents' arms and pull her grandparents out of their seats. "Hurry! I can't leave you!"

"Dawn! _Get away from here!_"

And that is the last thing she hears as her father gives her a hard shove, pushing her away from them and towards the Pokémon Center. The last thing she sees is her parents' terrified faces, surrounded by flames. The last thing she knows is smoke, as it encircles her and fills all of her senses, making her throat burn and her head spin. She coughs, feeling like she's going to throw up.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a figure standing near the Celestic Ruins, but strangely, far away from all the destruction that was going on. It's a man with faded blue hair and a long coat.

And he's smiling.

Dawn squints harder, but black and white spots begin to dance across her vision, blinding her, and she accepts the fact that she's going to die.

— - O - —

Dawn wakes up to a blurry and unfocused world. She blinks and rubs her eyes. Every part of her body is aching with pain. She winces as she tries to move her legs. Are they broken?

She's lying on clean white sheets. Her head whirls as she sits up, taking in her surroundings. Her eyes focus. She's in a hospital—she can tell. She can see a bunch of machines around her, but a curtain is blocking off the rest of her surroundings.

"Where's my family?" she screams before she can even think. Passerby nurses glance at her before continuing on their way, but nobody replies.

Panicking, Dawn leaps to her feet. Her legs instantly crumple beneath her, a sharp pain lancing through them. Nausea threatens to overwhelm her, and her lungs burn as if on fire. She finds that her arms and legs are covered with blood and that she can't breathe well, but she doesn't care.

She needs answers. She screams at the top of her lungs, attracting the attention of a nearby doctor. He walks toward her, clipboard in hand.

"Are you Dawn?" he asks, and she nodded impatiently. He flips through the dozens of papers attached to his clipboard and finally reaches one that appears to have her name on. He clears his throat, looking nervous.

The next words he say change her life forever.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, Dawn. I'm truly sorry. We found your parents and grandparents near their house. They were all dead."

— - O - —

After that, Dawn is sent to her next-door neighbor's house to live.

She has no other family in Sinnoh, so her friend's family offers to take her in. She wants to feel grateful, because as soon as she arrives, her friend's parents greet her and say all kinds of sympathetic things, and she knows they care. But the replay of the day her parents died keeps repeating in her head.

And then there is her friend, Barry. He talks to her at his house and he says he feels oh-so bad for her, but at school, he doesn't even notice her. He is what Dawn's mom would call a plastic friend. Dawn knows Barry just wants to be popular and fit in.

As for her, she tries to lead a normal life again, but she can't. She doesn't care about school, friends, or anything. Life seems meaningless, empty. Dawn doesn't care about anything anymore.

There are nights when the explosion and her family's deaths come to haunt her in her sleep until she screams, jolting awake, crying. She sees the man with the pale blue hair in her dreams. Dawn is certain that he's the one who bombed the Celestic Ruins, and anger begins to build in her from then on.

Barry's parents try to comfort her, but eventually they begin to think that she has mental problems, so they avoid her.

The school year continues on and Dawn begins to be abandoned by her peers. The few friends she's had pretend they don't know her. Part of the reason might be because she doesn't change her clothes or brush her hair. But her used-to-be "friends" don't even help her when she gets bullied by those vicious girls that everyone is afraid of. These girls taunt Dawn, pull her hair, call her a freak. They spread nasty rumors about her until she's a social outcast and everyone hates her.

Dawn is mentally unstable, the doctors say. All she wants is someone to comfort her and who feels the same way she does. But no one will.

Nobody cares for her anymore.

— - O - —

Eventually, the bullying worsens. It becomes so bad that Dawn runs away. She flees all the way to Jubilife City until she looks at her reflection in a glass door and sees what she looks like now. A girl with blue hair, dirty clothes, and pale skin covered with scars and bruises. She looks like a ghost.

And her eyes. They are filled with anger, with _revenge._

Revenge. That's the perfect description of herself, she thinks. She needs revenge.

So Dawn plans it. She catches her first Pokémon and trains. She trains hard every day, forcing herself and her Pokémon to get stronger, better. She breezes easily through all the Gym Leaders until she has seen every one of their Pokémon lay unmoving on the floor, utter defeat and weakness in their eyes. Finally, she's at the doors of the Sinnoh Pokémon League, and her Pokémon are what she's trained them to be, heartless fighting machines.

But she doesn't feel satisfied. She wants more.

Dawn remembers the books she's read in the past about the members of the Creation Trio. None of them stands out to her now except for Giratina. Like her, Giratina wanted revenge, and it had good reason to. It had been banished to the Distortion World and is probably still plotting its revenge there.

Dawn researches Giratina and the Distortion World, planning it out carefully. And finally the day comes where she is ready to go to the Distortion World and capture Giratina. She can't even think rationally by now. The anger that burns in her heart is making her insane, driven by nothing except the desire to see others suffer and go through the pain and loneliness that she had gone through.

She's going to destroy the world.

— - O - —

Dawn has to admit, it's hard. She finds the portal to the Distortion World at Spear Pillar after months and months of searching. And the second she enters the Distortion World, she becomes dizzy and confused, and the world begins to spin before her eyes. She doesn't even know how much time she spent in there, wandering around, completely lost. She stumbles around until she feels herself growing weaker, her life force receding. By this rate, when she either finds Giratina or gets out of here, she knows that she will be dead.

So when she finally looks upon the Renegade Pokémon, she's shocked. Her brain is so messed up from the horror of the Distortion World, she doesn't even know if it's an illusion or not.

According to the history books Dawn had read before she stopped caring, Giratina was an evil demon. It was said to have been banished for its violence toward humans. The books all depicted Giratina similarly: a terrifying, huge creature with beady red eyes and ghastly, shadowy black wings. The history books attempted to describe Giratina's eerie, chilling cry. They tried to illustrate Giratina's creepy scales and overall horrifying figure.

She thinks it's the most beautiful thing she's ever seen in her life.

— - O - —

It takes her what seems like ages, but finally she's captured Giratina in the Master Ball she stole from the Veilstone City Department Store and gotten out of the nightmarish Distortion World. She appears back at Spear Pillar, for a moment grateful just to live in a world where the normal laws of physics exist, where time and space both flow regularly.

However, that feeling is gone when she realizes what is really happening in the world around her. Dialga and Palkia, who she recognizes from the books she used to study, appear in front of her. They are majestic and divine, the beings of time and space. But they are chained in front of her very eyes, and the person standing before them is _that man_. The man with the blue hair who killed her family.

She steps forward, releasing Giratina out of its Poké Ball. The Renegade Pokémon appears with a mighty roar, sending the man stumbling backward simply with the force of its cry.

"Who are you?" Dawn growls. It's the first time she's talked since...well, she doesn't even remember anymore. She clenches her fists, the anger rising up in her again.

The man grins. "You haven't heard of me? I am Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic." He raises his arms. "Our goal is complete! With the powers of Dialga and Palkia, I will destroy this world and create a new one without any fighting or strife."

"You...you killed my family," Dawn snarls. "At Celestic Town...the ruins were bombed. That was you." It's all she can do to keep from attacking him. The desire to get revenge swirls up inside her. It's beginning to spark a fire in her heart.

"Oh. That." Cyrus shrugs indifferently. "That was just part of my plan to prevent anyone else from seeing the Celestic Ruins. After all, I already have all the information I need." He shakes his head. "But that is irrelevant. What _is _important is the destruction of this world! I have waited too long."

He points to Dialga and Palkia, each in turn. "Dialga! Palkia! Use your divine powers to destroy everything! There is too much hate in this terrible world. We shall create a new one together, you and I! And I will be its ruler!"

As Dialga and Palkia begin releasing their powers, Dawn screams, "Giratina, attack! Use Shadow Force!" and the Renegade Pokémon disappears, a moment later lunging at Cyrus and Team Galactic. The destruction seems to happen in slow motion as the members of Team Galactic either fly into the air from the impact or collapse. They are dead.

However, Cyrus, his commanders, and some grunts are unharmed, shielded behind Dialga and Palkia. Despite this, Dawn revels at Giratina's power and smirks. "Talk about divine powers. I have a weapon of my own."

"You captured Giratina? I must not underestimate you, then." Cyrus laughs lightly. "No matter. You will still be eliminated from existence."

No. The fire is ablaze inside her heart, fueled for so long but not able to escape. Now is the time to release all that anger and bitterness, and taste the sweetness of revenge.

And Dawn does just that. She, Giratina, and her other powerful battle-trained Pokémon whip through Team Galactic like this is just a game. They offer no mercy and receive no resistance. Dawn fights with pure hate. She doesn't stop, even after Team Galactic is all lying at her feet, dead, although she feels complete satisfaction and triumph when she kills Cyrus with her own hands. She doesn't notice that Dialga and Palkia have disappeared to their home at some other dimension. She smashes pillars and takes out her anger on Mt. Coronet itself, causing avalanches and deadly rock slides.

She is insane.

And she laughs, because she feels like she has absolute power over everything in the world.

Finally, she stops (she would have continued, but she was too tired). She's ended up on the base of Mt. Coronet, a blizzard whirling around her and her Pokémon. It's freezing cold, but Dawn doesn't notice, because she's sweating and her heart is pounding.

Looking around at all the destruction around her, she suddenly remembers her parents' words: _"I'm very proud of Dawn. She's going to be a wonderful young lady when she gets older."_

Dawn laughs, but for some reason, tear drops start spilling out of her eyes.

— - O - —

She stays on Mt. Coronet for a week. She doesn't know where else to go. She doesn't care about the cold, even though it numbs her skin until she can't feel anything anymore. All she can do is just lay there. She doesn't have enough energy to even move, and passes out a few times because of the biting cold. She doesn't even care if she dies here. There's nothing else for her to do in her life.

But finally, she comes to a decision.

— - O - —

The wind howls and the harsh blizzard swirls over the endless passes of Mt. Coronet. Through this heavy snowstorm, a lone figure appears, almost completely veiled by the snow. This girl treks slowly up the snowy passes of the ancient mountain. She is reflecting on her past. Her life flashes before her eyes.

At the peak of Mt. Coronet, Dawn reaches Spear Pillar. It's beautiful, the first part of the world ever created. Despite herself, Dawn allows herself to appreciate the beauty of the ancient ruins, even though it's been destroyed by her own violent hands. She is calm now, certain of her decision. Tossing out all her Poké Balls, she feels tears sting her eyes. Her whole body is numb and stinging with the cold. It's painful, but Dawn's tough.

She's always been.

Her Pokémon, along with Giratina, appear in front of her. Although they've only been trained to be cold, heartless fighting tools, Dawn knows they care for her. A strange sensation runs through her when she realizes she cares for them, too.

Tears fill her eyes, and she blinks hard, wiping them away. _This is for the good of my Pokémon, _she reminds herself, _and for the good of the world. _She looks down at her hands, hands of violence and hate. Hands that have hurt so many people. She wants to erase it all.

"Good bye," she whispers, turning and throwing their empty Poké Balls as far as she can down the mountain. She's released them.

Her Pokémon continue to stand there, watching her intently. She motions for them to leave, but they don't move. Angry now, Dawn screams, "Go! Live your life without me! You don't need me!" and her eyes overflow with tears. They spill onto the ground, faster and faster, and Dawn looks up. She is shocked with the realization that her Pokémon are crying too.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I love you."

She throws the last Poké Ball away, and it disappears into the snow. It is Giratina's Poké Ball.

Giratina knows what Dawn wants it to do, so she murmurs, "Go on." But before Giratina does anything, its eyes meet Dawn's, and the Renegade Pokémon's eyes' are full of sadness and regret for what it was about to do. Then, with a roar, Giratina lets out an explosion of energy, surrounding Dawn with the beauty of all colors that ever existed.

Dawn closes her eyes even though she feels like she's on fire. The white-hot explosion surrounds her as she waits for her death.

* * *

Ahh, this took me all day to write :D I wrote this partly because I love Giratina (its my favorite Legendary Pokémon) and I also love anything to do with the Creation Trio.

Hope you enjoyed this!


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